Swedish human rights group Civil Rights Defenders has decided it's not, and they've come up with a CAPTCHA to test what they think is the distinguishing factor between humans and computers: the ability to feel compassion. Says Natasha Jevtic Esbjörnson, Civil Rights Defenders' Head of Communications, in the group's press release:

Ironically, we are asked by computers to prove our humanity by interpreting and decoding words. But what really tells us apart is our ability to express emotions. Therefore, we’ve built a CAPTCHA that lets us prove our humanity by showing empathy, while simultaneously highlighting injustice in the world.

Take a look at the screengrab (below) to see what these CAPTCHAs look like to humans.

LOOK:

However, some of the controversial issues Civil Rights Defenders have chosen to highlight in their CAPTCHA tests -- gay pride issues, for instance -- may turn some websites (and users) off to the CAPTCHA collection. (The collection first launched on October 6th in order to commemorate the banning of Belgrade Pride Day, a gay pride celebration that has been called a "security risk" by Serbia's Prime Minister because of the threats it elicited from right-wing extremist groups.) One CAPTCHA question reads, "The Minister for Human Rights in Montenegro thinks that the existence of homosexuals in Montenegro is bad news. How does that make you feel?" Of the three answers given ("euphoric," "appalled," "proud"), "appalled" is the answer that the CAPTCHA deems correct, thus possibly putting off Montenegrins (and others) who might be "euphoric" or "proud" that their country is taking a stand against homosexuality.

Of course this means that for tech sites like Wired, writing on the issue has become an invitation to get their comment sections clogged with conspiracy theories. Regarding the CAPTCHAs, a popular opinion seems to be that "[t]his is simply a warm and fuzzy gloss overlaid on Thought Policing." Others are simply annoyed. "Some civil rights obsessive wants me to state my political views in order to enter websites," writes one Wired commentator. "How does this make me feel? Terrible. Irritated. Abusive."